4 Retro Cars Boost Power and MPG With Diesel and EV Upgrades

Over the summer, the Cash for Clunkers (CARS) program brought consumers into car showrooms and helped revive the recession-battered auto industry. The goal of the program was to help generate sales of new cars and to remove gas guzzlers from the road. But why not breathe new life into these older cars instead of crushing them? There are small pockets of clever and resourceful DIYers who are not only hanging onto old iron—saving these cars from their ultimate demise—but are converting cars and trucks from the '60s, '70s and '80s into more fuel-efficient and powerful vehicles with both diesel and electric powertrain swaps. Here are four of the coolest ones we've seen.

Duramax Diesel 1994 Ford Mustang

"I've always done oddball swaps," says Mike Cook, owner of the aftermarket engine performance company Nitrous Express. Cook's 1994 Mustang is built for drag racing, but instead of using a conventional larger-displacement V8, or a radical supercharger or turbocharger setup, he swapped in a modified Duramax diesel V8 from a late-model heavy-duty GM truck. "That Duramax fits well," says Cook, "we didn't have to modify the firewall or the fenders." One of the keys to making the Duramax swap successful over other diesels is the relatively light weight of the GM motor. Since the Duramax has aluminum heads, it weighs about the same a 454-cid Chevy big-block V8. The Mustang's performance on all levels is rather staggering. Cook says he has taken the car on several road trips from his Witchita Falls, Texas, home base, including one 3500-mile journey for Hot Rod Magazine's Drag Week, where he hit four major drag strips in five days and averaged 33 mpg. On that trip he also managed a 9.91-second quarter-mile run at over 143 mph. Cook says his Mustang should dip into the 8-second quarter-mile bracket with even more radical modifications. Best of all, he reports the Mustang runs fairly clean on synthetic diesel with no smoke.

Electric 1981 Chevrolet El Camino

An early 1980s Chevy El Camino would have escaped the crusher under the CARS program, but keeping interesting older cars on the road for many years usually means a conventional engine swap. But that's not the case for Wisconsin-based Tom Leitschuh's ride. Leitschuh ditched the original 3.8-liter V6, kept the three-speed manual, and converted the car to electric power over a six week time span. The car is now filled with 46 lithium-ferrite-phosphate batteries that altogether weigh around 900 pounds and connect to a 100-hp electric motor. Twenty-six of these batteries are located under the hood, the rest are under the bed. And since the batteries weigh so much, Leitschuh says he's upgraded the springs at both ends of the car to compensate. "We really figured out the weight distribution by trial and error," he says. The El Camino tops out at 85 mph and takes about 8 hours to recharge. According to Leitschuh, it runs 100 to 120 miles on a charge. A second 180-volt DC electric motor powers the steering system so that the car has "instant power-steering assist even at parking-lot speeds." The El Camino recently won an award at a local car show, and Leitschuh is planning for the upcoming midwest winter--he's putting the finishing touches on a climate control system with electric heat and a/c.

Electric 1978 Ford Pinto

"I wanted something that was made in America, rear-wheel drive, lightweight and had the `shame factor,'" says Mike Willmon of his 1978 Ford Pinto drag car, "If you get beat by someone driving a Pinto, that's just shameful." Willmon's fun and funky electric Pinto is ferociously fast. He says it will hit 60 mph in 3.5 seconds; his best quarter-mile time for the 3200-pound Ford is 12.47 seconds at 105 mph. The Pinto runs 60 EnerSys XE-16 lead-acid motorcycle batteries that deliver close to half a megawatt of power. The Pinto develops over 1200 lb-ft of torque from the twin electric motors on the dyno, though Wilmon says that they generate closer to 1500 lb-ft of torque right at zero rpm--where electric motors have their peak torque. The Pinto runs a Ford 9-inch rear axle with 4.11:1 gears--and the electric motor torque combined with this aggressive gearing means Willmon can lift the front end off the ground at launch. Willmon lives in Anchorage, Alaska, and is the president of the National Electric Drag Racing Association, so this Pinto is built more for that task than it is for long-distance commuting. "I can go about 25 miles on a charge," he says, "That's enough to get to work and back with a few stops along the way." Willmon's real daily driver is also electric--a converted Mitsubishi pickup that delivers about 40 miles on a charge. Next up? Willmon plans to replace the lead-acid packs on the Pinto with expensive but potent lithium-ion units.

Duramax Diesel 1981 Buick

David Morad's GNX clone was originally an Oldsmobile. Confused? Morad's plan was to build a Duramax diesel-powered muscle car. But in order to make the swap legal in California, the recipient vehicle must have originally been equipped with a diesel. So Morad purchased an '82 Buick Regal diesel. Unfortunately, the Regal caught fire on the way home from its very first drive and burned to the ground. So Morad chose an `81 Oldsmobile Cutlass diesel, a car that shares the Buick's platform. He spent over a year collecting Buick parts to transform the Olds into a Grand National (more details here). The Buick clone's diesel swap makes for one incredible performer. The car is capable of 12-second quarter-mile times. "When I would baby the car on the freeway on the way to work I could see 35 mpg," Murad says, "but I have a hard time not flooring it. On a normal drive I would see 25 to 26 mpg." Impressive. Currently, Morad is modifying the 2001 6.6-liter Duramax for even more power. His goal? "It's probably going to have a twin-turbo setup--one for each cylinder bank--with a target of around 800 hp," he says. And Murad isn't just redoing the engine, he plans to make the Grand National capable of using either the 4L85E automatic it currently has, or a Dodge Viper six-speed Tremac manual transmission. And to bring the story full circle, Murad says, "I just bought an `81 Buick Regal diesel from Arizona--and we're using many of the parts on that car for this new incarnation." We can't wait to see the finished car.

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